Thread: C.B.P. Officers Discover Close to 7,000 Pounds of Marijuana

CBP Officers Discover Close to 7,000 Pounds of Marijuana Hidden in Coffee Shipment

(Wednesday, October 15, 2008)

El Paso, Texas - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working anti-terrorism operations at the Bridge of Americas commercial cargo crossing in El Paso intercepted 6,820 pounds of marijuana in a commercial shipment of coffee. The tractor-trailer came across from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, yesterday.

On Tuesday at about 3:50 p.m. a 1997 Volvo tractor arrived at primary inspection. The driver told a CBP officer he was hauling a shipment of coffee. The CBP officer selected the shipment for further inspection. The tractor-trailer was referred for an x-ray examination. The Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System confirmed anomalies in the merchandise contained in the trailer. CBP officers discovered 3,943 marijuana-filled packages commingled in the coffee shipment.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agents arrested 23-year-old Oscar Martinez Valenzuela in connection with the failed smuggling attempt. Martinez is a Mexican national from Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico.

In addition to the previously described seizure, on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., CBP officers took down close to 15 pounds of cocaine at the Ysleta border crossing. The cocaine bundles were discovered in a dashboard false compartment of a 2005 Honda Accord. The driver, 24-year-old Cecilia Ramos Vasquez was arrested by ICE special agents. Vasquez is a legal permanent resident residing in El Paso, Texas.

“It is always a good feeling to see significant seizures like this,â€

For every one that gets caught, I wonder how many get through undetected? 10, 100?

Yeah, let's open our borders to Mexican trucks. What a great idea.

In 50 years, America will no longer exist. Congress is selling if off bit by bit.